[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] By now you’ve likely heard the term “drowsy driving.” This form of impairment while operating a car has become a significant problem in our country. Part of the reason is that it’s very difficult to know when you’re sleep deprived. Our ability to make sound judgments or to check in with our alertness is masked by sleep deprivation. On top of ...

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] The winter solstice in North America, which is described as the shortest day and longest night of the year, takes place tomorrow. While our current meteorological winter got off to a sparkling start with the snow we encountered earlier this month, winter solstice marks what is known as astronomical winter. At this time of year, the North Pole receives literally no solar energy. (No ...

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] If getting eight hours of sleep a night is healthy, won't sleeping more than nine be even better? The National Sleep Foundation recommends that most adults between the ages of 18 and 65 sleep between seven and nine hours a night for optimum health. For adults age 65 and older, the recommendation is between seven and eight hours nightly. They put a cap ...

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] Sleeping well may be one of the biggest challenges for most people. But identifying the root cause of poor sleep is even more elusive. Could it be caused by poor sleep hygiene? Is it the result of a health condition you know about? Might medications be part of the problem? What about menstrual cycles, stress, or allergies? Or maybe you have an actual sleep ...

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] Current recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation state that the average adult should sleep between seven and nine hours of sleep every night to maintain good health. Anything less than seven hours amounts to sleep loss. How we define that sleep loss can be a matter of semantics. Is is sleep deprivation? Sleep debt? Sleep restriction? Insomnia? Insufficient or inadequate sleep? Knowing the difference ...